BBC Northern Ireland Outlines Autumn 2022 Schedule
Date Posted: August 25, 2022
BBC Northern Ireland has unveiled details of its autumn line-up, with a packed schedule of new programmes, many of which received support from Northern Ireland Screen.
Eddie Doyle, BBC Northern Ireland’s Head of Content Commissioning, says: “This new season of programmes across BBC Northern Ireland and BBC iPlayer is a strong demonstration of our commitment to homegrown programming with an emphasis on the special people, places and produce we’re so passionate about.
“Audiences can expect high energy and punchy new commissions, with a blend of drama, comedy, arts, entertainment, documentary and lifestyle programming showcasing a broad range of perspectives, with new voices, new faces and new themes – as well as some returning famous faces. As the evenings start drawing in we want to keep people entertained, providing laughter, companionship and escapism.”
Patrick Kielty’s Tractor Wars: Ferguson Vs. Ford
Patrick Kielty explores the untold story of Harry Ferguson and Henry Ford’s agreement and how it led to a spectacular fall-out and multi-million dollar lawsuit.
In 1938 Ferguson and Ford, two former farm boys, shook hands on ‘a gentleman’s agreement’ with the ambition to change the agricultural world forever. Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and Harry Ferguson, the Ulster inventor, agreed to mass produce an ingenious new tractor. Together they would mechanize the world of the struggling small farmer on an industrial scale and put an end to the depressed 1930s.
Mini Matchmakers
In a new series from Afro-Mic Productions with support from Northern Ireland Screen, we enter into the world of ‘The Mini Matchmakers’, a dating agency run by nine-year-olds. In each episode the mini matchmakers meet and interview singletons looking for love and then match up couples for that all-important first date. The cute cupids then select two dates for the singleton and watch as the love-matches go on a fun date.
Irish Dance Fever
Irish Dance Fever is a three-part observational series which takes viewers into the pressure-filled world of competitive Irish dancing. Following dancers from Northern Ireland and America, from two of the most successful dance schools as they train and compete at the biggest competition of their year, the Irish Dancing World Championships.
Irish dancing may be known for its big wigs and sparkly dresses but this series will delve below the pageantry and reveal a different side to this sport, where friendship and family relationships are bound together and sometimes tested in a tough environment created to breed world champions.
Featuring defending champions and first time competitors as they battle through injuries, nerves and wig mishaps, viewers will see the dedication, athleticism and hours of training required to compete at world level.
Rat Woman
In the latest True North film from Triplevision Productions, Rat Woman tells the story of Patricia Page who runs a family pest control business in the north west. Patricia reveals that most clients are surprised when a female rat catcher arrives on their doorstep and how her work involves much more than just setting a trap for troublesome rodents. For Patricia and her team a degree of detective work is required to establish how pests – who pose a significant public health risk – find their way into our homes.
Cliona And Simon: From This Moment On
Irish Country Music royalty Cliona Hagan and Simon Sheerin are getting hitched. From bridal dress shopping and juggling life on the road, Cliona and Simon discover that the country roads to the altar have a few unforeseen twists and turns. With exclusive access we follow the loved-up celeb couple as they plan an ever-expanding wedding, at the same time as attempting to balance a demanding work schedule with music videos and festivals, and somehow try to fit in time to catch up with friends and family. Filled with joyous moments and plenty of laughter, this love story provides behind-the-scenes access to the major milestones and highlights of planning one of the biggest Country weddings of the year. Cliona & Simon: From This Moment On is made for BBC Northern Ireland by Green Inc TV.
Black, Northern Irish And Proud
From new immigrants to second generation citizens Black, Northern Irish And Proud provides a fascinating insight into how black people perceive living here. They offer frank and honest opinions on topics such as identity, diversity, green and orange politics, racism, black pride and a shared future.
Strawbridge Over The Drawbridge
In a brand new series for BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC iPlayer, James Strawbridge – son of chateau dwelling Dick – unearths terrific tales and hopes to cook up a storm as he travels around some our most magnificent country houses and estates. Each of the three half hour episodes of Strawbridge Over the Drawbridge sees professional chef James visit a different country house in Northern Ireland. After meeting the people lucky enough to call these spectacular buildings home, James is taken on a tour of their sumptuous interiors while learning about the colourful past of not only the buildings but their previous inhabitants. James also discovers what makes each estate tick today.
Hope Street
Set in the fictional town of Port Devine on the Northern Ireland coast, Hope Street will return to BBC Daytime and BBC One Northern Ireland later in the year. Made with support from Northern Ireland Screen, it has proved to be popular with fans across the UK and beyond.
B&B By The Sea
B&B By The Sea is an exciting new entertainment series set in a Victorian guesthouse at Downhill Beach on the picturesque Antrim coast. The tranquil setting is a place of calm and a chance for celebrity guests to explore their connections to the sea and coast, but it is not all rest and relaxation as Sharon and Rory from the B&B team put them through their paces. Our celebrities also slip on their aprons to help Great British Menu chef Alex Greene prepare a gourmet meal using the best of local produce that audiences will be keen to try at home.
Famous faces booked into the B&B include Northern Ireland native Gloria Hunniford, Strictly judge Shirley Ballas and First Dates host Fred Sirieix to name a few. B&B By The Sea is made by Afro-Mic Productions with support from Northern Ireland Screen.
Paula McIntyre’s Hamely Kitchen
Chef Paula McIntyre is back for series two of Hamely Kitchen. In this six-part series, filmed on Northern Ireland’s spectacular north coast, Paula once again celebrates local produce and cooks up more mouth-watering traditional recipes. Made for BBC Northern Ireland by Clean Slate TV, with assistance from Northern Ireland Screen Ulster Scots Broadcast Fund.
James Joyce’s Ulysses
Ulysses is often described as the most infamous novel of the twentieth century and one that continues to bemuse readers old and new. To mark the novel’s centenary year, James Joyce’s Ulysses, a Doubleband Films and Lone Star Arena co-production with funding from Northern Ireland Screen, unlocks the mysteries of this literary masterpiece in all its shocking, poetic and sexually explicit glory. From its earliest crossed out manuscript pages to the final iconic edition, bound in the blue of the Greek flag in honour of Homer’s The Odyssey, Ulysses revolutionised the modern novel. Joyce faced many difficulties getting Ulysses published; in 1920 it was banned in the USA for obscenity and was finally printed in Paris in 1922 by an American woman who had never published a book before. Notoriously difficult to read, and written in a variety of styles, Ulysses is ultimately a story about ordinary people and celebrates humanity in all its complexity.
Northern Irish Homes
Home is where the heart is and in a new film from Afro-Mic Productions, property owners take a fun filled look at design trends through the decades and reminisce about their own successful DIY projects and decorating faux pas in Northern Irish Homes. From 1970s crushed velvet curtains to the bright floral patterns that adorned many a 1990s living room wall and furniture, this nostalgic film delves into some unmissable archive footage and personal photos providing a unique insight into what makes our homes so special.
Nurses
Long hours, pressures and a shortage of staff are some of the challenges facing the team of dedicated healthcare professionals that ensures our hospitals function and patients get the best possible care. A new four-part BBC Northern Ireland series, gets unprecedented access to some of our nurses in a variety of health settings hearing their own personal stories while providing an insight into the job they love. Filmed over 12 months, the series follows the team of nurses as they look after patients across a range of areas in the health service. These include those working in an emergency department, a psychiatric care unit, a neonatal unit, a cancer unit, and some working with prisoners.
Litir Ghrá ón Dara Cogadh Domhanda
This is the story of a love that transcended thousands of miles and a war. It was the love between a Belfast doctor and his sweetheart that prevailed despite the horrors of a Japanese POW camp and years spent apart. A new BBC Gaeilge film tells the remarkable story of how Frank Murray, who joined the British army as a medic in World War 2, made a promise to his fiancée Eileen O’Kane, whom he met in the Donegal Gaeltacht, that he would return home. They wrote extensively to each other and it is through these letters that their remarkable story is brought to life giving viewers an insight into their world, their love and the horrors faced by Murray as he battled to keep his promise to Eileen. Litir Ghrá ón Dara Cogadh Domhanda is produced by Strident Media for BBC Gaeilge, with support from Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund.
Mountain Vets
Mountain Vets returns for a third series and catches up with some familiar faces from the Mourne Mountains. Viewers will also meet a new team of dedicated vets in the Glens of Antrim who work at the heart of these rural communities. In a place where animals outnumber people, our mountain vets are on hand to offer vital emergency services, help farmers through the busy lambing season and to treat some unusual customers including a bearded dragon suffering from tail rot and a sick alpaca. The series was produced by Rare Television with funding from Northern Ireland Screen.
Belfast Harbour: Cruises, Cranes And Cargo
Belfast Harbour: Cruises, Cranes and Cargo returns for a new four-part series getting unprecedented access to the people who ensure everything runs ship-shape in this non-stop world. Belfast Harbour handles more than 70% of Northern Ireland’s seaborne trade. Over the four programmes the harbour has to deal with the impact of a shipping accident 4,000 miles away, a team of volunteers help clean up the waters around Belfast while another team, the Belfast Giants, prepare to return to the ice.
Barra’s Return Of The Wild is back for a new series which will bring Europe’s wildlife right into viewers’ living rooms once again. The series is produced in collaboration with the European Broadcasting Union and public service broadcasters across Europe. The Blame Game is also set to return to BBC Northern Ireland later in the year, with episode one featuring special guest Joel Dommett alongside series regulars Tim McGarry, Colin Murphy, Diona Doherty and Neil Delamere. The latest series of Nolan Live will see Stephen host up-to-the-minute debate on the big stories which matter most, and An Focal Scoir, the studio based discussion series, returns in the autumn with Máire Bhreathnach joined each week by a panel of journalists and social commentators. The series is produced for BBC Gaeilge by Below The Radar TV with support from Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund.
